YouTube Ordered to Take Down Anti-Muslim Film (The Associated Press / The Big Story)
A U.S. appeals court ordered YouTube on Wednesday to take down an anti-Muslim film that sparked violent riots in parts of the Middle East and death threats to the actors. The decision by a divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reinstated a lawsuit filed against YouTube by an actress who appeared briefly in the 2012 video that led to rioting and deaths because of its negative portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. U.S. News & World Report A trailer promoting the film was blamed for murderous rampages in Muslim-majority countries in 2012 and was initially cited by some U.S. officials as the cause of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack that killed U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, Libya. TimeThe appeals court found that the copyright of one of the stars of the video had been infringed upon because the actress, Cindy Lee Garcia, agreed to appear in something other than what was produced. The film, entitled Innocence of Muslims, depicted the prophet Mohammed as a liar and a child molester. “Garcia’s performance was used in a way that she found abhorrent and her appearance in the film subjected her to threats of physical harm and even death,” chief judge Alex Kozinski wrote for the majority court. The Verge It’s well established that most people involved in Innocence of Muslims had no idea they were appearing in a diatribe against Islam. Garcia was paid $500 for a bit part in sword and sandals movie Desert Warrior, but she later found her footage had been edited for the new film and overdubbed with one of the most controversial lines: “Is your Mohammed a child molester?”

Former Editor of Hong Kong Newspaper Stabbed Amid Media Tensions (Reuters)
A former chief editor of a major Hong Kong newspaper known for its critical reporting was stabbed and seriously wounded on Wednesday in an attack that has fueled concerns about what many see as an erosion of media freedoms. A man in a helmet attacked Kevin Lau, former chief editor of the Ming Pao daily, in broad daylight on a leafy harborfront street, slashing him in the back several times. The assailant rode off on a motorcycle with an accomplice. CNN Lau, who was walking to his car at the time of the attack, was left bleeding with life-threatening injuries to a lung, his wife told journalists. Lau was taken to the city’s Eastern Hospital and was reported to be in critical condition. WSJ Lau was chief editor of the Ming Pao newspaper until his firing last month, which touched off protests over the decline of press freedom and other civil liberties in the semi-autonomous territory. TimeAlthough no explicit link has been made, speculation is rife that the attack was somehow connected to the protests. Many local journalists claimed that Lau’s removal was punishment for pursuing corruption and human-rights stories deemed embarrassing to Beijing. Ming Pao is owned by Malaysian tycoon Tiong Hiew King, who has business interests in China.

TiVo Swings to Profit, Adds Subscribers (MarketWatch)
TiVo Inc. swung to a profit as the maker of television set-top boxes continued to add subscribers. The company also unveiled plans to repurchase an additional $100 million of its shares in the fiscal first quarter. Reuters The company said it added 319,000 net subscribers in the quarter ended Jan. 31, including 313,000 subscribers in its cable and satellite television business, which provides digital video recording service through its own and service providers’ set-top boxes. Deadline New York Total subscriptions increased 33.7 percent from last year to 4.2 million. This also was the first time in six years that the company reported an increase in the number of people who bought DVR service directly from TiVo as opposed to through a cable or satellite company.

Netflix, Disney Bring Marvel Superheroes to New York City (New York Daily News)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger announced Wednesday that four different live-action series featuring Marvel comic superheroes will film in New York and be streamed on Netflix. NYTAt least 60 episodes of the new shows — each based on a different comic book character — will be shot on the city’s streets, according to Iger. The shows represent “the largest film or television production project commitment in New York State history,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. WSJThe deal involves incentives valued at roughly $4 million, according to a person familiar with the matter, going toward four series and one miniseries. While the series will feature New York City-centric superheroes — Marvel’s “flawed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen” characters — Disney had considered several other filming locations, including Toronto, since it announced the Netflix arrangement in November. Variety The state was “aggressive” in wooing Disney’s business. Disney will spend $200 million over three years filming the series, said to result in 400 full-time jobs and 3,000 part-time production jobs. FishbowlNY The series will focus on Marvel’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist and will begin filming this summer to debut on Netflix in 2015. Netflix and Disney’s distribution deal gives Netflix exclusive rights to Walt Disney Studios movies, including titles from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Disneynature and Lucasfilm.

ITV’s Pre-Tax Profits Soar 30 Percent as it Rules Out Channel 5 Bid (The Guardian)
U.K. broadcaster ITV has reported pre-tax profits up 30 percent for 2013 fueled by a 20 percent leap in profits at ITV Studios, but chief executive Adam Crozier has ruled out a bid for Richard Desmond’s Channel 5. Financial TimesFirst-round bids for Channel 5 are due Thursday, with BSkyB and Discovery considering a joint bid for Desmond’s company. However, Crozier said that the group was “not looking” at the broadcaster, as a bid would have attracted regulatory scrutiny given the combined entity’s position in the television advertising market. The Telegraph Crozier is investing in TV production companies to reduce ITV’s reliance on the advertising market. His company benefited from a recovery in advertising, however, with net advertising revenue up 2 percent.

At FBN, Maria Bartiromo Looks Beyond ‘Toxic’ Nature Inside TV News (TVNewser)
Maria Bartiromo‘s got a new network, an earlier timeslot and greater perspective about the business of business news. As her 20 years at CNBC wound down, she was frustrated about the limited time given to guest segments. “I’d say, let’s give this person 30 minutes, let’s give this person 20 minutes.” “No” was the short answer. Shorter is better. “And I always had this pressure to have five people on at once,” she adds. Wednesday morning, the third edition of her new show, Opening Bell Bartiromo interviewed former AIG Chairman Hank Greenberg for most of the 10 a.m. hour. After the show, TVNewser sat down with Bartiromo in her 17th floor office in the News Corp. building — just down the hall from Bill O’Reilly, Shepard Smith and other Fox News notables.

British Prosecutors Charge Four Journalists (WSJ)
British prosecutors said four journalists — three of them from News Corp’s Sun newspaper — have been charged with misconduct in public office, a move that puts a fresh spotlight on journalistic practices at a newspaper that’s part of Rupert Murdoch’s media giant. A journalist who used to write for the Trinity Mirror Group title the Daily Mirror was also charged. Bloomberg Businessweek The charges stem from Operation Elveden, the bribery probe that grew out of an investigation into wrongdoing at News Corp. newspapers. All of the defendants will appear in a London court on March 10, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Aereo Granted Two-Week Reprieve as it Appeals Utah Ruling (Variety)
A federal judge is putting off for 14 days his order that Aereo cease service in Denver and Salt Lake City so the streaming service can seek an appeal. Last week U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball ruled in favor of broadcasters in their complaint that Aereo’s unauthorized streaming of their signals violates the Copyright Act, issuing an injunction that applied throughout the 10th Circuit, which covers Utah, Colorado and four other western states. TVSpy He wrote that there was “some benefit” to allowing Aereo’s customers to have uninterrupted service for the next two weeks. The company is seeking an emergency stay in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Fifty Shades of Grey Sales Hit 100 Million (THR)Fifty Shades of Grey crossed an important milestone recently when it recorded its 100 millionth sale this week. Publisher Vintage Books, a division of Random House, made the announcement. The 100 million mark puts EL James’ trilogy about the torrid affair between a billionaire and a college student in elite company. Other series that have hit that milestone include Twilight, Harry Potter, Sweet Valley High and James Bond. The first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, was released in March 2012 (based on a self-published piece of Twilight fan fiction). Sales hit 10 million about six weeks later. By the end of 2012, sales had risen to between 65 million and 70 million copies.

Another Exit at Time Inc. (NY Post / Media Ink)
Fran Hauser, one of the top digital people at Time Inc., is exiting. The well-respected executive had been president of digital for the old Entertainment & Style Group that included People and In Style, as well the Lifestyle Group that included titles Cooking Light, Sunset and Health. FishbowlNY One reason for Hauser’s departure is that Joe Ripp, CEO of Time Inc., passed over her when he named Colin Bodell the company’s chief technology officer in January.

Facebook to Begin Rolling Out New Ad Campaign Structure March 4 (AllFacebook)
The overhaul of Facebook’s ad campaign structure, originally announced last November, will begin rolling out March 4, with the major change being the addition of a new level, ad sets, which will be placed between the two existing layers, campaigns and ads. The social network said in a post on the Facebook for Business page that the new campaign structure will be incorporated into all ad interfaces — the ads create tool, Ads Manager, Power Editor, and Preferred Marketing Developers’ third-party ad interfaces.

Iowa Newspaper: Employees No Longer Get Their Unused PTO Balance When They Leave (JimRomenesko.com)
The Gazette Company, owners of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, tell employees that effective March 1, they’ll no longer receive payment of their unused PTO (personal time off) balance when they leave the company. “First, it is a financially prudent move,” says a company memo. “PTO balances have accumulated over the years and most recently, the total unused PTO across the company was in excess of 40,000 hours. Second, and more importantly, we believe that employees should have opportunities to enjoy time away from work.”

Woody Johnson, Jared Kushner And A Haute New Hollywood Handbag Designer (FishbowlNY / Lunch)
Since so many media mavens and talking heads have headed to the West Coast for Oscar week, my lunch Wednesday with designer Michelle Vale was particularly timely. Just a few days ago, Michelle sent off several of her handbags to LaLa land in hopes that a certain Best Actress nominee will walk down the red carpet carrying one of her creations come Sunday night. If the actress, whose name for the moment is top secret, utters Michelle’s name when she is asked the million dollar question of the night — “Who are you wearing?” — that could mean very big things for the designer. “You never know what’s going to happen,” Michelle told me.

Apple Files Appeal in eBook Antitrust Case (ABC News / AP)
Apple has filed papers telling a federal appeals court in New York that a judge’s finding it violated antitrust laws by manipulating electronic book prices “is a radical departure” from modern antitrust law that will “chill competition and harm consumers” if allowed to stand. GalleyCat Earlier this month, Apple’s previous appeal was rejected by the court. Apple could pay up to $840 million in antitrust claims as a punishment for being found guilty of colluding with publishers to fix the prices of eBooks. In June, U.S. district judge Denise Cote found Apple guilty of the antitrust claims filed by the U.S. Justice Department. She also determined that 33 states were eligible to join in the suit.

Bloomberg, El Financiero Launch Business Channel in Mexico, Central America (TVNewser)
Bloomberg and Mexican newspaper El Financiero are teaming up to launch a multiplatform Spanish-language business news service, including a television network that will serve as Mexico and Central America’s only Spanish-language business news channel. The channel, which launched Wednesday, has four hours of original programming in Spanish, featuring journalists in Mexico including Enrique Quintana, Carlos Mota, Alejandro Cacho and Leonardo Kourchenko. It also offers Bloomberg TV content in English.

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